Tom Brady on returning from suspension: "Great to be back"

Tom Brady's four-game suspension is finally over, and he's enthralled to be back in the Patriots facility preparing for Sunday's game.

Tom Brady has finally spoken.

After completing his four-game suspension stemming from the Deflategate scandal, Brady returned to Gillette Stadium and the Patriots facility on Monday. Even though he wasn't seen by reporters and even some teammates, Brady confirmed his presence there on Westwood One Radio.

Transcribed by Mike Reiss of ESPN:

“It was great to be back in the building. It was certainly great to be back to work,” Brady said during his weekly interview on Westwood One. “It's been a long four weeks for me, but I'm excited to get started on my preparation for Cleveland. I'm anxious for the week ahead. I want to get back out on the practice field. This is what I love to do, and now I have an opportunity to do it.”

Brady's return comes at a perfect time for New England. After winning their first three games in convincing fashion, the Patriots were shockingly shut out by the Rex Ryan-led Buffalo Bills this past Sunday.

With Brady at the helm, New England has opened up as 10.5-point favorites against the Cleveland Browns.

Even though the opponent is quite inferior this week, Brady isn't overlooking how challenging it will be to get up to speed after missing four weeks:

“I'm going to take it day to day. I haven't played in four weeks,” he told host Jim Gray when asked his expectations for his NFL return. “My teammates have been working their butts off, and that's what they expect of me. I'll take the days as they come. I'll certainly need the practices to try to get on the [same] page as all the guys who have been practicing the last four weeks. But I'm really looking forward to it.”

There are some positives, though. Brady also discussed how Deflategate has rallied the Patriots' fan base:

“That remains to be seen,” he said. “We have a great fan base, and I have great teammates. I love the guys that I play with. They supported me for so long, and I support everything in what they're trying to accomplish and certainly what we're trying to accomplish as a team. I love playing in New England, and I want to go out there this week and make them all proud.”